Huawei’s sub brand Honor has just launched it brand new Honor 9N budget smartphone at it’s quite the stunner at Rs 11,999. The device surely looks good with its shiny glass back and will definitely appeal to younger audiences looking for something flashy. The coloured plastic frame also makes it lighter than its identical twin sibling, the Huawei P20 Lite, which sells for almost double the price, despite having similar hardware inside.

Yes, the Honor 9N does look like doppelganger of the Huawei P20 Lite. It’s hard to tell between the two smartphones until you look at the logo on the bottom chin, below the 19:9 display. That 19:9 aspect ratio 5.84-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display is covered with 2.5 D glass just like on the P20 Lite.

As for the cameras there’s a 13 MP + 2 MP setup along with an LED flash. The front-facing camera features a 16 MP sensor that sits alongside the receiver speaker and the ambient light sensor all packed tightly inside that display notch.

As of today, the Honor 9N is the only smartphone in the budget range to feature a display notch with a 19:9 aspect ratio display (until Xiaomi announces the Mi A2 Lite); if you are still into display notches that is.

So how does the gorgeous Honor 9N fair against its competitors in the budget smartphone segment? Let’s find out!

Smartphone

Huawei Honor 9N

ASUS Zenfone Max Pro

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Moto G6 Play

Display Size (inch)

5.8

5.99

5.9

5.7

Resolution (pixels)

1,080 x 2,160

2,160 x 1,080

2,160 x 1,080

1,440 x 720

Pixel Density (PPI)

428

402

403

282

Display Type

IPS LCD

IPS LCD

IPS LCD

IPS LCD

Dimensions(mm)

149.2x71.8x7.7

159 x 76 x 8.5

158.5 x 75.45 x 8.05

154.4 x 72.2 x 9

Weight (gm)

152

-

180

175

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

SIM Type

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Connectivity Types

GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE

GSM / HSPA / LTE

GSM / HSPA / VoLTE

GSM / WCDMA / LTE

Processor

HiSilicon Kirin 659

Qualcomm Snapdragon 636

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625

Qualcomm Snapdragon 430

CPU Cores

Octa-core

Octa-core

Octa-core

Octa-core

CPU Clock Speed (GHz)

4 Cortex-A53 @ 2.36 GHz & 4 Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz

8xQualcomm Kryo 260 @ 1.8 GHz

8 Cortex A53 @ 2.0 GHz

8x Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 Ghz

GPU

Mali-T830MP2

Adreno 509

Adreno 506

Adreno 505

RAM

3GB, 4GB

3, 4, 6 GB

3,4 GB

3 GB

Ruggedness

–

–

–

–

On-Board Memory

32, 64, 128 GB

32, 64 GB

64 GB

32 GB

Expandable Memory

Yes, up to 256 GB

Yes, up to 2 TB

Yes, upto 256 GB

Yes, upto 256 GB

Sensors

Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass

Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass

Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass

Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity

Primary Camera

13 MP and 2 MP

13 MP and 5 MP

12MP, f/2.2

13 MP f/2.0

Optical Image Stabilization

No

No

No

No

Camera Array

Dual Camera

Dual Camera

Single Camera

Dual Camera

Autofocus System

Phase detection

Phase detection autofocus

Phase detection

Phase detection autofocus

Secondary Camera

16 MP

8 MP

5 MP, f/2.0

8 MP

Video Capture

1080p

1080p@30fps

1080p

1080p

Flash

LED

LED

Dual-LED

LED

OS Version

EMUI 8.1 Android 8.0 Oreo

Android 8.1 Oreo

Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based MIUI 9.2

Android 8.0 Oreo

AI (Smart Assistant)

Google Assistant

Google Assistant

Google Assistant

Google Assistant

GPS

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, hotspot

Bluetooth

v4.2, A2DP, LE

v4.2, A2DP, LE

v4.2, A2DP, LE

4.2, A2DP, LE, EDR

NFC

No

No

No

No

Infrared

No

No

Yes

No

Fingerprint Scanner

Yes, Rear button

Yes, Rear button

Yes, Rear button

Yes, rear

3.5mm jack

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Radio

Yes, FM Radio

Yes, FM Radio

Yes, FM Radio

Yes

USB Type

microUSB v2.0

microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go

microUSB v2.0

micro USB 2.0

USB Standard

USB 2.0

USB v2.0

USB v2.0

USB v2.0

Battery (mAh)

3,000

5,000

4,000

4,000

Fast charging

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Colors

Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, Lavender Purple, Robin Egg Blue

Deepsea Black, Grey

Black, Gold, Rose Gold, Blue

Indigo, Gold

Prices in India

Starting at Rs 11,999

Starting at Rs 10,999

Starting Rs 9,999

Starting at Rs 11,999

It’s easy to point out going purely by the specifications on paper, despite being a looker does lose out in some areas, mainly against the Asus ZenFone Pro M1.

The same can said about the 13 MP + 2 MP camera setup where the ZenFone offers a bit more with a 13 MP + 5 MP camera.

Next up is the expandable storage, where the ZenFone offers 2 TB of expandable storage as opposed to the 256 GB offered on the 9N.

Then there’s software. Asus offers an almost stock version of Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, with no messy skinning. It’s indeed a poor man’s Pixel.

The ZenFone Max Pro. Image: tech2/ Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee

Lastly, there’s that gigantic 5,000 mAh battery that trumps the Honor 9N’s 3,000 mAh unit, which will easily the ZenFone get better results when it comes to battery life.

Oh and did I mention that the ZenFone with all of its additions (over the Honor 9N) with sells for Rs 1,000 less?

But the Honor 9N has one detail going for it and that’s the design. It’s made of plastic and glass (vs plastic and metal on the ZenFone), but it’s easy to conclude that 9N is a stunning smartphone in its class when it comes to design.

The Asus and the Redmi Note 5 may be practical (and a bit chubby) but it’s no match for the slim profile of the Honor 9N.

Overall, the Asus ZenFone Pro M1 still takes the crown here, but if you are looking for the something slim and power and battery life don’t really matter, then the Honor 9N will get your attention with a base price starting at Rs 11,999.